[ad_1]

Hundreds of billions of dollars are spent searching for cures for chronic diseases.

But there is a natural antidote that costs nothing and is available to everyone – exercise.

There is now definitive evidence that just 20 minutes of physical activity per day slashes the risk of cancer, dementia and heart disease by around a third. 

That is more effective than some medications – and the exercise doesn’t have to be a yoga class or boring run on a treadmill, even gardening has been shown to be a major protector.

And while doctors will probably never recommend it, studies suggest exercise can even undo the effects of a bad diet and make up for sleepless nights

There is now evidence that just 20 minutes of physical activity per day slashes the risk of cancer, dementia and heart disease.

There is now evidence that just 20 minutes of physical activity per day slashes the risk of cancer, dementia and heart disease.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) official exercise guidelines recommend people get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week, or roughly 20 minutes per day.

Included in that time, the agency recommends two days be dedicated to muscle-strengthening exercises.

Moderate-intensity exercise includes activities like biking, dancing, hiking, jogging, brisk walking and swimming. 

Strengthening exercises include weight-lifting, push ups, pull-ups and squats.

However, studies have shown that even light physical activity, like household chores, can reduce the risk of disease by more than 20 percent.

Despite all its benefits, Americans are not getting the exercise they need. CDC data released in January showed only 28 percent of adults 18 years and older met both the aerobic and strength the guidelines for weekly physical activity.

Two-thirds of Americans are not meeting guidelines at all. The CDC estimates $117 billion in annual healthcare is related to low physical activity.

Below, DailyMail.com reveals how exercise could decrease your risk of death and chances of developing serious health conditions.

All-Cause Mortality

The 2022 study published in the journal Circulation also analyzed all-cause mortality – dying from any cause. It found those who participated in vigorous physical activity between 75 and 149 minutes per week had a 19 percent lower risk of death from any cause.

People who worked out between 150 minutes and 299 minutes per week had between a 21 and 23 percent lower risk.

When it comes to moderate physical activity, people who participated in moderate activity for 150 minutes to 299 minutes per week saw a 20 to 21 percent decrease in all-cause mortality.

For those who had moderate exercise between 300 and 599 minutes per week, there was between a 26 percent and 31 percent lower risk.

In the study, results among participants were consistent without adjusting for body mass index or calorie intake.

Additionally, a 2004 study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found people 65 years and older who participated in physical activity had a 28 percent reduced risk of all-cause mortality than those who did not.

Death from Heart Disease

A 2022 study in the journal Circulation of more than 116,000 people over 30 years found those who participated in vigorous physical activity between 75 and 149 minutes per week had a 31 percent reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease (CVD).

People who worked out vigorously between 150 minutes and 299 minutes per week had between a 27 and 33 percent lower risk.

When it comes to moderate physical activity, people who participated in moderate activity for 150 minutes to 299 minutes per week saw a 22 to 25 percent decrease in CVD mortality.

For those who had moderate exercise between 300 and 599 minutes per week, there was between a 28 percent and 38 percent lower risk of dying from CVD.

Health officials recommend people get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity, or aerobic exercise, per week and two days of muscle-strengthening exercises

Health officials recommend people get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity, or aerobic exercise, per week and two days of muscle-strengthening exercises

Dementia

As the aging population of the US continues to grow, so will the rates of dementia. Currently, an estimated 5.8million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease – the most common form of dementia – the vast majority of whom are aged over 65.

By 2050, this number is projected to rise to nearly 13 million.

While the main cause of Alzheimer’s disease is still debated, scientists believe the damage is likely to be the result of abnormal build-up of proteins – amyloid and tau – in and around brain cells.

A July 2022 study published in the journal Neurology analyzed the health information of 501,400 people from a British health database over 11 years. Researchers found people who engaged in consistent vigorous activity — sports or working out — had a 35 percent reduced risk of developing dementia.

Even people who reported completing household chores saw a benefit and had a 21 percent lower risk of dementia.

A separate October 2022 meta-analysis of 38 international studies found people who engaged in activities like regularly walking, running, dancing, playing sports or swimming had a 17 percent reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease compared to those who did not.

The study was also published in the journal Neurology.

Covid Hospitalization

The number of Covid-19 hospitalizations is increasing as the winter cold and flu season is overwhelming American healthcare systems.

Recent data from the CDC shows Covid hospitalizations have been on the rise since November. 

A meta-analysis from June 2023 of 27 studies examining the relationship between physical activity and Covid hospitalization and death found people who were physically active were less likely to become so sick they required hospitalization due to a Covid-19 infection.

Of the 27 studies, researchers were able to analyze seven that met criteria for analyzing Covid hospitalization and its association with physical activity. 

While the threshold for exercise differed slightly from study-to-study, a majority used the CDC’s guidelines of 150 minutes of activity per week as a benchmark.

The meta-analysis found physically active people had a 54 percent less chance of hospitalization due to Covid. 

One study included in the analysis found people who followed CDC exercise guidelines had a decreased risk of hospitalization, admission to the ICU and death from the virus.

Another found athletes who regularly participated in sports were 1.5 times less likely to be hospitalized with Covid-19.

The analysis was published in the Journal of Preventive Medicine and Hygiene. 

Physical activity benefits your brain, heart, blood sugar, balance, weight, mental health, bones and sleep

Physical activity benefits your brain, heart, blood sugar, balance, weight, mental health, bones and sleep

Diabetes

Diabetes can be influenced by a number of factors, including genetics, diet, physical activity and weight.

The latest data available from US health agencies showed in 2019, 62million Americans were living with the condition. However, experts believe the true number is much higher given nearly half of Americans are considered obese, which is closely tied to diabetes.

Regular exercise is associated with weight loss, lower blood pressure and an improvement in insulin and glucose levels — all of which are beneficial in diabetic patients.

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends adults with diabetes participate in 150 minutes per week of aerobic and strengthening exercise.

In a review of 20 scientific studies, researchers from Baylor College of Medicine and University of Colorado Medical Campus found when comparing the most active participants to the least active participants, the average risk reduction in developing diabetes was 42 percent. 

One study found women who participated in vigorous weekly exercise had a 16 percent reduced risk of diabetes.

Another found there was a 34 percent reduction for each hour of brisk walking.

Additionally, meeting the exercise guidelines has been associated with a 40 percent reduced risk of death of diabetic patients from heart problems.

Obesity

Nearly 42 percent of adults in the US are considered obese — having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or above, or roughly the equivalent of someone who is 5’9” weighing 203 or more lbs.

Being obese is tied to dozens of poor medical outcomes, including heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney disease.

There is evidence linking obesity to a higher risk of suffering from strokes, severe respiratory infections and 12 different cancers. People with obesity also describe having poor mental health.

And the obesity epidemic is estimated to cost the US healthcare system more than $173billion per year.

While following a healthy diet can be a useful tool to reduce obesity, a one-year study published in the journal Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine found increasing a person’s baseline physical activity by 16 to 20 percent – without making any changes to diet – resulted in a 22 percent decrease in body fat mass.

It also helped reduce LDL, or bad cholesterol, which reduces the risk of cardiovascular death, heart attacks and strokes.

A separate study observing women found a one-hour brisk walk per day was associated with a 24 percent reduction in obesity.

An April 2022 study published in the Internal Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found obese people who participated in aerobic and resistance training protocols — whether or not it resulted in weight loss — showed improvements in their bodies at the cellular level.

The study also showed lengths of telomeres — the protective protein involved in the development of Alzheimer’s disease — increased in obese people who exercised, regardless of weight loss.

In obese menopausal women who participated in an eight-week program that included 55 minutes of aerobic and resistance training three times per week, researchers observed a six percent decline in fat mass and a two percent decline in waist circumference.

A study published in December showed obesity is also associated with women’s fertility. Researchers found for every one extra centimeter a woman has around her waist, her risk of infertility increased by three percent.

However, ‘moderate recreational activities’ can lower the risk of female infertility associated with abdominal obesity.

The above shows the relationship among moderate-to-vigorous exercise, sitting time and risk of all-cause mortality in adults. The risk of dying from all causes decreases as a person moves from red to to green

The above shows the relationship among moderate-to-vigorous exercise, sitting time and risk of all-cause mortality in adults. The risk of dying from all causes decreases as a person moves from red to to green

Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in both the US and the world. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) estimates there will be more than 300,000 cases of the disease in 2023, along with 43,700 deaths.

Death rates have fallen 43 percent between 1989 and 2020, after successful public health awareness campaigns, better screening and new drugs. However, the number of new breast cancer cases is rising roughly two percent every year.

Many studies have shown physically active women have a lower risk of breast cancer than inactive women. In a 2016 analysis published in the European Journal of Cancer of 38 studies, the most physically active women had a 12 to 21 percent lower risk of breast cancer than those who were least physically active.

A 2020 study in the British Journal of Cancer analyzed the association of self-reported physical activity and breast cancer. Researchers measured physical activity using metabolic equivalents (METs). METs compare energy of various activities to energy expended during one hour of inactivity.

For the study, different activities were given varying MET scores and those were converted into MET hours per week.

Activities included walking, moderate activity levels and vigorous activity levels. Walking was given a MET of 3.3. Moderate activity was given a four and vigorous activity was given an eight.

The most active premenopausal women reported a score of 91.8 MET hours/week of physical activity.

Premenopausal women who reported 58.3 or more MET hours/week, had a 23 percent decreased risk of breast cancer compared with those in the bottom quartile

The most active postmenopausal women reported an average of 94.9 MET hours/week. Among this group, the most physically active saw a 17 percent risk reduction of breast cancer over the most inactive women.

Colon Cancer

While cancers have steadily fallen over recent decades, scientists have been mystified by an explosion of colon cancer cases, also known as colorectal cancer, in younger adults who have traditionally been at low risk of the disease.

In the 1990s, just 11 percent of colorectal cancer cases were among people younger than 55 years old. But cases have tragically now more than doubled, with people in that age group now accounting for a fifth of all new diagnoses, according to the latest data for 2021.

Experts are not sure what’s behind the unprecedented rise and are exploring whether modern diets, antibiotics or even fungal infections could be at play.

A 2018 study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine involving 23,500 people found people who participated in 24 MET hours per week had a 29 percent lower risk of colon cancer.

A separate 2022 study in Cancer Cell International found physical activity may reduce colon risk in men by 24 percent and 23 percent in women when comparing people with the highest MET score to the lowest MET score.

A 2019 study published in the World Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology suggested physical activity could prevent nearly 15 percent of colon cancers.

[ad_2]

This post first appeared on Daily mail

You May Also Like

TWO-HUNDRED people are being monitored for monkeypox infection in Massachusetts, CDC says

Two-hundred people are being monitored for monkeypox in Massachusetts after coming into…

The Chainsmokers’ Drew Taggart reveals his struggle with alcohol in candid new post

Drew Taggart shared a candid post to his Instagram on Wednesday, revealing…

Adele weight loss: Sirtfood diet plan behind Adele’s weight loss transformation

Adele has turned heads in the last year after revealing her body…

CDC’s advisory committee votes unanimously to recommend a third dose of COVID-19 vaccines

[ad_1] BREAKING NEWS: CDC’s advisory committee votes unanimously to recommend a third…